


At The Beginning With You

by Spacecadet72



Category: Anastasia (1997), Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Anastasia Fusion, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-07-29 20:43:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20088493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: Dima can't remember anything before she was eight years old, and has no idea who her family is. But with her one clue--Paris--she sets off on a journey to find where she belongs. Steve Trevor and his team are looking for the lost Princess Diana. Together can they answer both questions--who Dima is, and where the Princess went?(Completed and updated Tuesdays and Fridays)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this should have been finished last year for the WIP Big Bang. That did not happen, unfortunately, but I've managed to finish as part of July's Camp Nanowrimo. I'm so excited for this to finally be ready to post. 
> 
> This started when I was watching Anastasia and realized that young John Cusack kind of sounded like Chris Pine and from there I couldn't stop the idea of a crossover. :D
> 
> Title comes from At The Beginning from the Anastasia soundtrack. 
> 
> There is [great art](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15993506) created by [afteriwake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake).

“Diana.”   
  
Princess Diana turned at the sound of her mother’s voice, a wide grin blooming across her face.   
  
“Yes, mother?” she asked as she slowed her horse down to a walk, moving around the large ring with ease.   
  
"It is time for you to return to the palace for your lessons,” her mother, Hippolyta, said, standing tall and regal just outside the ring.   
  
Diana frowned. "But mother, I just started my riding lesson for today."    
  
Diana's aunt, Antiope, laughed from where she stood inside the ring. She was an accomplished horsewoman and had been teaching Diana. "Your lesson started an hour ago."   
  
Diana's frown deepened, bordering on a pout, but she dismounted without another word of argument. She put her hand into her mother's outstretched one and with a wave to Antiope, they began the walk back to the palace.    
  
"How are your riding lessons going?" Hippolyta asked gently, her back straight and regal, even when just walking with her daughter.    
  
Diana grinned. "They are going well. Aunt Antiope says that I will be as good with horses as she is one day."    
  
Hippolyta returned Diana's smile. "I don't doubt it. With your stubbornness and Antiope as a teacher."    
  
Diana knew this was a compliment and her smile only grew. "I wish my lessons could be longer, Mother."   
  
Hippolyta's smile dimmed. "I know, my love, and I wish I could give that to you, but you have many other lessons to learn if you are to one day rule."    
  
"But that is so far away," Diana said, this time with an actual pout.    
  
Hippolyta's lips turned up in an affectionate smile. "I know it seems that way, but before you know it, you will be grown and I will no longer sit on the throne."    
  
Diana frowned at the thought, not really sure that she wanted to rule. Her mother was in meetings all day and she herself spent several hours in boring lessons. What kind of future was that?   
  
"There is something else I need to speak to you about, Diana," Hippolyta said, and Diana knew whatever her mother had to say was not going to be good.    
  
"What is it?" Diana asked, her stomach twisting in trepidation.    
  
"I must go to Paris again," Hippolyta said, pressing forward when Diana opened her mouth to speak. "Not long, and Antiope won't be going with me this time, so she will look after you."   
  
Diana nodded, all the happiness she had felt while riding now gone. "How long?"   
  
Hippolyta led her into one of the smaller palace gardens and gestured for Diana to sit on a stone bench, before joining her.    
  
"I will only be gone three weeks this time. You'll hardly have time to miss me," she said, with a strained smile.    
  
"When do you leave?" Diana said, shoulders thumped at the thought of her mother leaving again.   
  
"In three days," she said quietly, before pulling out a small box from the pocket of her dress. She handed the box to Diana. "This is for you."   
  
Torn between feeling sad about her mother's departure, and excitement at a present, Diana took the box. She gasped as she opened it, revealing a simple silver cuff bracelet. On the outside of the bracelet were engraved the words  _ Together in Paris _ .    
  
"Really?" Diana asked, hoping she wasn't misunderstanding the message.    
  
Hippolyta nodded, her smile growing at Diana's excitement. "I was afraid that ten might be too young to join me, but on my next trip, you and Antiope will both come along."   
  
"Oh mother!" Diana cried as she threw her arms around Hippolyta.    
  
"You have earned it. I know this life is not an easy one, with all its rules and requirements, but I really do believe you will make a wise and just ruler, Diana."   
  
Diana nodded, that day still feeling a long way off. For now, she had her lessons to endure and Paris to look forward to.

* * *

"Diana, run!" 

The screams and sounds of gunfire had woken Diana from sleep, but it was her mother's frightened look and words that spurred her into action. 

"Mother, what’s wrong?" she asked as she jumped out of bed, pulling her dressing robe around her, any sleepiness she might have felt pushed away by a jittery, nervous feeling. 

"We must get out, it is not--" Hippolyta broke off as the sound of another round of shots, and she grabbed Diana's hand before running out of the nursery. 

“What is going on?” 

Hippolyta didn’t answer, and just pulled Diana out of the room. 

They found Antiope in the hall, and Diana reached for her hand without thinking, needing the comfort and support of both her mother and her aunt. 

"The guards have already taken over the West Wing, but if we head for the stables---" Antiope began before a sound from behind them cut them off. 

"Hey!" 

They turned to see one of the soldiers pointing at them with his gun. Hippolyta looked around before pulling Diana and Antiope behind her into the room nearest them. As they entered the room, Diana looked back and saw a man talking to one of the soldiers. It took her a moment in the chaos, but she realized it was Ares. He had been in the court as a mystic man, able to see the future. He had played with Diana on occasion when she was waiting for her mother to finish a meeting. Diana frowned. What was he doing there?

“Mother,” she began, but was Hippolyta wasn’t listening. 

There was a large window at the far side of the room, but they were on the third floor. Hippolyta ran to it, pulling back the curtains. 

"It's locked," she said as she pulled uselessly at the latch. "Maybe we can break the window..." she trailed off, looking around her. 

"In here," a small voice called out from the far side of the room. A young boy, about Diana's age and clearly a servant stood next to a small opening in the wall, gesturing for them to follow him. 

"Thank you," Hippolyta murmured as they followed the boy through the opening. 

"It leads to the servant's quarters," the boy murmured as they walked through it. The opening had been small, but the passage allowed for both Hippolyta and Antiope to walk upright. 

Once out of the passageway, it was a straight shot to a side entrance. They got through the door and outside the palace quickly, and Diana felt some of her anxiety leave the as they walked away from the palace and toward the stables. 

"You there!" 

Diana gasped and whirled her head around, trying to see who had spoken, what kind of threat they would have to face. It was a guard, who started running towards them, continuing to shout. 

"Come, Diana," her mother said, tugging at her hand as they followed Antiope into the stables. Antiope had two horses out of their stalls before Diana and Hippolyta were fully in the stables. Hippolyta lifted Diana onto the horse and then mounted the horse behind her. 

They galloped out of the stable, past the guard and were on their way. 

"Where are we going, mother?" Diana asked, her voice full of the fear she tried to hide, wanting her mother to think she was strong. 

When Hippolyta answered, Diana heard some of her own fear in her mother's voice, which she hadn't thought possible. 

"To the train station. We need to get far away from here." 

Diana nodded. She glanced over at Antiope and realized that their savior was missing. 

"Where is the boy?" she asked, looking around as if he could keep up with them on foot. 

"He disappeared sometime after we got outside. I couldn't find him." She could hear the frown in her mother's voice even if she couldn't see it. 

Diana frowned as well at the answer. She hadn't known him at all, but he had saved them, with great risk to himself and now he might be in danger. 

She just hoped that he would be alright. 

They reached the train station quickly, and found they were not the only ones trying desperately to get on the next train. It left in only a few minutes and they barely had enough time to buy their tickets, no matter who they were or what titles they held. 

They had to run to catch the train and Diana was just so tired. 

"You must keep up, Diana," Antiope called from next to her mother, who pulled tighter on her hand to help her speed up. She stumbled, but kept going. 

Antiope got on the train first, and Hippolyta tried to hand Diana up next, but her arms were grabbed and she was pulled up onto the train.

"Diana!" she cried, reaching her hand out. 

Diana stuck her hand back, but couldn't quite reach. She tried to jump to make it, but it only caused her to stumble again, this time falling to the ground. 

"Diana!" both Hippolyta and Antiope called out rushing to the railing and trying to reach her. They were held back by the other passengers, and the train kept moving away, only getting faster. 

"Mother!" Diana cried, pushing herself to her feet. She was jostled between two quick moving people and fell again, this time hitting her head. She thought she heard her name being called, but everything became dark. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dima meets Steve and his team, and the adventure begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the longest chapter and one of my favorites. :)

_ Ten Years Later _

It was time. 

Dima looked back at the orphanage. It hadn’t been a happy upbringing, but it was the only home she could remember. She slowly turned her gaze to the wide road leading away from the orphanage and into the small village.  
  
She had been into the village countless times, but never past it. She took in a deep breath as she thought through her plan. Find a way to St. Petersburg, and from there to Paris   
  
She looked down at the bracelet hanging from her wrist and the sight of it brought comfort. She ran her fingers over the letters engraved across the cuff: Together in Paris.   
  
Somewhere, she had a family and they loved her enough to give her such a beautiful and personal gift. One that she had fought to keep all these years. Maybe they were still in Paris and she could find them and finally be home.   
  
Taking in a deep breath, she set one foot in front of the other and set off down the road.   
  
It was cold, being winter in Russia, and she knew that St. Petersburg wasn't too far from her village, but the road seemed to stretch on and on as she walked. She shivered, wishing she had a thicker coat, and tried to think of something to take her mind off of the drudgery of the travel.   
  
She wondered where her family was now. Were they together? How many of them were there? A mother, a father, brothers and sisters? Maybe even aunts and uncles and cousins. The kids at the orphanage typically didn't have large extended families, although there were several sets of siblings, and Dima had often felt jealousy at their obvious connection. What must that feel like? To know and love someone like that? She had been generally well liked at the orphanage, but it was a gloomy place, and she hadn't had many people she could call friends.   
  
She liked to imagine what it would be like if she were with her family now. She knew there must be a good reason she had ended up where she had, and that her family would never give her up on purpose. She pictured them, tall and dark haired, their faces fuzzy. She couldn't ever quite picture what she thought they would look like, which she had decided was a good thing. She wouldn't want to have clear faces to have to replace when she found her real family.   
  
Hours later, the time made shorter by imagining her family reunion, Dima found herself on the edge of the city. It was well into the afternoon now, and Dima knew she only had a few hours of sunlight left. She needed to be on a train before then. She would never survive the night in the snow.   
  
After stopping to ask for directions and only getting lost once, she arrived at the train station. It was a bustle of activity, and Dima grinned. She had never been around so many people before. Squaring her shoulders and taking in a deep breath, she walked towards an open ticket booth.   
  
"I need one ticket to Paris, please," she asked, trying to keep the excitement and nervousness out of her voice.   
  
"Exit visa," the teller asked, his voice bored, his eyes barely glancing her way.   
  
Dima's eyebrows furrowed. Exit visa? She thought she only had to pay for a ticket. "I don't have an exit visa."   
  
The man shrugged, waving for the person behind her to come forward in line. "Then no ticket.” 

"But--" Dima began, but the man had already began talking to the next woman in line and Dima was unceremoniously pushed to the side.  
  
"You need an exit visa?"   
  
She looked around to see where the voice was coming from and found a short, elderly woman looking at her conspiratorially.   
  
Dima nodded. "Where can I get one?"   
  
The old woman beckoned her closer. "They're difficult to get through official channels, but if you find the American, Steve Trevor, he can get you one."   
  
"Where can I find this Steve Trevor?" Dima asked, wondering how much farther she would need to walk to find him.   
  
"He can be found in the old palace, not far from here."   
  
Dima nodded. "Thank you," she said, but when she looked back down, the woman was gone.

It wasn’t difficult to get into the old palace; the windows had been hastily boarded up, and it didn’t take much effort to pull back a board or two to make a hole big enough to step through. Dima moved quietly through the abandoned building, the thick dust on the floor helping to muffle the sound of her footsteps. She couldn’t help but look around her at the palace, once glamorous and sparkling, now dark and dull.  
  
She could almost imagine it, if she tilted her head just the right way, how it would have looked years before. The decorations on the walls and tables would have gleamed under the bright lights, and the women’s dresses would have sparkled. The ballroom, which she had just reached, would have been a glittering whirl of bodies as the men lead the ladies through the dances.   
  
She had never danced herself, but could imagine how it would feel—one of her hands in that of a gentleman, the other on his shoulder as he held tight to her waist. He would lead them firmly, but gently around the room, keeping one eye on the other dancers, but the rest of his attention on her.   
  
She hummed to herself as she clumsily waltzed around the room, her arms out as if she really had a partner. She had almost forgotten why she was there, she was so pulled in by the memories of the palace.   
  
“Hey! What are you doing?”   
  
Dima jumped, her arms falling to her sides as she looked up to see a group of four men at the top of the stairs. The one in front, their leader she would guess, looked to be not much taller than her, a lock of brown hair falling into his eyes. He would be handsome when he wasn’t glaring at her, and his accent told her that he was the one she was looking for.   
  
She pushed down the urge to run and took a deep breath, forcing herself to stand up straight.   
  
“Are you Steve? Steve Trevor?” she asked, walking towards the group.   
  
Steve—she was sure of it now—shrugged. “That depends.”   
  
“On what?” she asked, as she reached them.   
  
“On who’s asking,” he said, with a crooked grin, and he was even more handsome than she imagined. But it didn’t matter, all that mattered was whether he could help her.   
  
“I was told to look for the American, Steve Trevor, and he could help me get to Paris. I don’t have an exit visa.”   
  
He looked at her for a long moment, and Dima shot him a sharp look when she caught him looking her up and down. “Can you help me or not?”   
  
Steve looked back at the other three men, who nodded, and then he turned back with another shrug. “We are going to Paris and do have an extra ticket, but unfortunately, we can’t just give it to you.”   
  
“What do you want for it?” she asked, feeling her chance slipping through her fingers. 

Steve shook his head. “It’s not what I want for it, but rather who the ticket is for. We can only give it to the Princess Diana. Once we find her, we are to reunite her with her family”  
  
Dima felt her hopes and her heart sink. Would she never get out of Russia? Would she never find her family?   
  
She nodded. “I understand,” she said, looking at each of the men. “I’m sorry for wasting your time,” she said as she turned to go. As she turned, she caught sight of a large family portrait on the wall behind Steve.   
  
The youngest child, a dark haired girl, looked remarkably like Dima had when she was younger. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if she really was the Princess?   
  
She looked up at Steve suddenly. “You said you haven’t found the Princess yet?”   
  
He shook his head. “Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to locate her, but don’t worry, we’ll find her.” There was something in his tone that suggested he knew something she didn’t, but she wasn’t going to let her opportunity get away.   
  
“What if I was the Princess?” she asked, forcing herself to stand tall again, keeping her eyes on Steve’s. “I don’t know my family or even who I was before I was ten, but the Tsarina would know if I wasn’t really the Princess and if you find the real Princess before then, we’ll part ways and she’ll go with you the rest of the journey.”

Steve shook his head again and gestured for the three men to follow him. “I’m sorry, miss, but I’m going to have to say no.” 

“Wait,” Dima said, and they paused at the top of the staircase. “I know I can’t prove that I’m her and I know I might not be, but I’m your best shot.”   
  
Steve looked at her again, and then back at the portrait. “You do look remarkably like her.” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe what he was doing. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. This is Charlie, Sameer and Chief,” he said pointing to each of the other men, before he stuck out his hand. “Welcome aboard…”   
  
“Dima,” she said, taking his hand and shaking it. “My name is Dima.”

* * *

  
"Your bracelet," Steve said, pointing at it, his head tilted in curiosity. "Together in Paris. What does that mean?" They were on the train, and just waiting for it to begin its journey. 

Dima ran her fingers over the well worn inscription, her fingers tracing over words she had traced over thousands of times. Words that still held very little meaning to her. And yet, meant so much. She shook her head. "I don't know. I've had it for as long as I can remember and it's my only clue to where my family might be. That's why I have to go to Paris. I have nothing else to go on."

"Is it alright if I..." Steve trailed off, but gestured with his hand towards the bracelet and Dima nodded, taking it off and handing it to him. She rarely took it off and without it, her wrist felt small and naked. 

Steve ran his hands over it. "It's beautiful," he said, his voice soft. "I hope you find your family," he said, clearing his throat as he handed it back to her. 

Dima took the bracelet back and slid it back on. There was always the possibility, a rather large one seeing as it had been ten years since she had been found, that her family was no longer in Paris, or worse, that they were gone and she would never find them. "I hope so too," she said softly, praying that this wasn't all for naught.

When they had been on the train for a few hours and everyone else except Steve was asleep, he leaned over and handed her a stack of papers. She began leafing through them, not sure exactly why he had handed it to her. "What is this?" she asked, as she kept her attention on the papers. There were names and what looked like a family tree or two, but she still wasn't sure what it was. 

"This is everything you need to know about Princess Diana. If you're going to find out if you're actually her or not, you'll need to know more about her," Steve said, pointing to the stack of papers. 

Dima's eyes widened as she saw just how many papers there were. They were to arrive in Paris in a matter of days. She couldn't possibly learn all of that by then. Her eyes narrowed. "Won't they just know by talking to me? Why do I need to know all of this?" 

Steve brushed off her concerns with a wave of his hand. "It's all for context, really. They'll ask you questions and it will help if you know what they're talking about." 

Dima nodded, not quite sure she understood, but then she flipped to the last page of the stack to find eyes eerily similar to hers staring back at her. 

"You really do look like her," Steve said, with a low whistle. 

It was uncanny. Dima couldn't really find it in herself to believe that she could actually be a princess, but when looking at the portrait, it was hard to deny the similarities. And if it meant finding her family, she would take any chance. 

With a deep breath, she straightened the papers and turned to Steve. "Alright, where do we begin?

Steve pointed to the top paper and began speaking as if teaching a class. "Princess Diana was born on a clear blue morning in March...."

* * *

Dima woke up the next morning curled up on the seat, the papers in a pile on the floor. 

"Those are important," Steve said as he walked in, giving her a chastising look. 

"I know, I spent all night reading them," Dima said shooting back a stubborn look of her own. 

Steve stared back at her for a moment before shaking his head. "How many do you have left to read?"

Dima grinned as she sat up, her hands going to her hair to fix her updo. "None. I finished them last night.” 

Steve's eyebrows raised in surprise, followed by a curious look. "Diana's mother?"

"Tsarina Hippolyta,” Dima answered easily. 

"And her aunt?"

"Antiope." 

"And the reason I asked about Diana's aunt before her father?"

"Because Antiope helped her sister raise Diana after Diana's father passed away when she was a baby," Dima said proudly, the information falling easily off of her tongue. 

"Hmmm...." Steve said, his eyes narrowing for a moment. "And Diana's horse?" 

Dima rolled her eyes. As if that one was difficult. "Pegasus, a white Thoroughbred." 

Steve held up his hands, an easy smile on his face. "Just making sure you were paying attention while reading. But don't worry, the harder questions will come later." 

“What’s this?” Dima asked, spotting a crumpled piece of paper she didn’t remember reading last night. It simply read _ The attack will start at midnight. _The handwriting looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t place why it seemed so. 

Steve grabbed the paper from her and put it in his pocket. “It’s nothing, I’m not sure how it got there.” 

Dima frowned, but the look on Steve’s face, one of concern, frustration and even a flicker of fear, stopped her from saying anything more about it. 

The other men came into the compartment less than ten minutes later, all with stacks of paper of their own. Dima stifled a groan at the thought of more studying. She didn't mind reading, and loved to learn, but the memorization of bland facts had never appealed to her. 

"Tell me about her," she said before they could get started, partly hoping to derail any more quizzing, but mostly because she really wanted to know. If she wasn't actually Princess Diana, then it would be interesting to learn about the child who had disappeared, but if she was Diana... She almost couldn't hold the thought in her mind, the prospect too tempting. She couldn't hold out too much hope. She had to reserve that for her belief that her family was out there. Nevermind the idea that they might be royals. 

Steve looked up from the papers he and Chief had been looking at. "What do you want to know?" 

Dima shrugged. "I know her family tree, and the activities she was proficient in and what her favorite color was, but I want to know what she was like." 

"That's hard to say when you haven't known someone," Sammy said with a grin, but Steve didn't look like he was listening. Instead, he looked lost in thought. Slowly he brought his head up. 

"She was...full of life," he said, his words coming out slow and deliberate, as if it took him some time to find the ones he wanted. "And even at only ten years old, everyone knew she would make a great ruler: skilled, and compassionate and willing to do what was right." He looked at Dima as he finished speaking and she wasn't sure what to make of the look in his eyes. 

His words were met with silence. 

"What biography did you read that out of?" Charlie asked, with an incredulous look. 

Steve shook his head with a laugh, the mirth not quite reaching his eyes, but he bantered with Charlie and the rest of them and the solemn mood left the group. 

Even if Steve's description of the princess wasn't entirely accurate, Dima hoped it was. That was the kind of person that Dima wanted to be, was striving to be, even if there hadn’t been much chance to show it in her life up until now. 

Even if she wasn't the princess, which she felt was the most likely outcome of this journey, she would strive to live up to the kind of person she might have been if that had been her life. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their journey continues with a little danger as Steve and Dima grow closer.

Dima couldn’t help but think about the note she had found and Steve’s peculiar reaction.

Looking over at Chief, who was the only one in the compartment, she decided to ask him about it. She explained what she had seen, and asked, “Does that seem strange to you?”

Chief paused before answering. “Steve has a past--as we all do--and he isn’t always open about it. Sometimes that makes someone act strange.”

Dima glanced up at the door, just then and saw a man walking away from their compartment. He could have been just walking past, but it had almost looked like he had been standing there.

Dima pushed the man out of her mind. He must have just been walking by and turned back to Chief.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t pry.”

“Steve will tell you when the time is right if it’s important.”

* * *

They got off the train that afternoon, in Germany. The next part of their journey would be by ship, which would take them all the way to Paris.

"Let's go this way," Steve said as they were walking towards the docks, gesturing to a wide alley. "I know a shortcut."

The group followed him down the alley, a few different conversations happening between the five of them. Dima turned to Steve to make a comment when he glanced back, his eyes going wide. He stopped and dropped to the ground, pulling her with him. "Get down!"

The others dove to the ground as the sound of a gunshot could be heard. Dima looked back in time to see a man with a gun running away from them.

Steve took chase, as did everyone else once they realized what was happening, but the man had gotten away.

"What was that about?" Sammy asked, looking at Steve in concern.

Steve shook his head. "I don't know. Probably a mugging gone wrong."

"That's not like any mugging I've seen," Charlie said, with a shake of his head.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Steve said, but he looked just as shaken as the rest of them, if not more.

"Come on, we don't want to miss the ship," he said when no one else spoke.

The mood was somber as they continued, no one wanting to speak after that. They reached the docks quickly and boarded the ship, glancing back after themselves, watching the crowd for any sign of threat.

As the ship pulled away from the dock, they were able to relax. Everyone went their own way, and Dima wandered on the deck. She had never been on a boat before, and she didn't want to miss anything as they began their journey. She saw Steve on the far end of the ship and walked over to him.

"How are you doing?" she asked, her voice soft as she stood next to him at the ship's railing.

Steve looked over at her and shrugged. "It wasn't the first time I've been shot at. Probably won't be the last."

"I'm serious," Dima said with a frown.

Steve shrugged again. "So was I."

She knew she wouldn't be getting any more out of him after that, and turned her attention to the river. "It's beautiful," she said, looking out at the water and the trees along the bank.

Steve nodded. "Have you ever been on a boat?"

Dima shook her head, wondering if her inexperience in life was so obvious. "There was never really an opportunity."

Steve nodded again. They stood in silence at the railing, gazing out at the water. Dima hoped that her presence would be enough to push the fear she could still see out of his eyes.

Later that evening, Sammy, Charlie and Chief were mingling with the other passengers, the mood light as someone brought out a violin and began to play, a joyful tune that matched the feeling on deck.

Dima smiled at the obvious joy on the other’s faces, glad to be sitting here next to Steve, watching her friends clearly having a good time.

“Would you do me the honor?” Steve asked as he stood up and bowed low before extending his hand.

She nodded and put her hand in his. “I’ve never danced before,” she admitted as she put her hand on his shoulder. He pulled her in close with one hand on her waist while the other hand clasped hers gently.

“Don’t worry, all you have to do is follow my lead,” he said as he began moving them around the deck. “One, two, three,” he counted softly, helping her see the rhythm of the steps.

“So just like I’ve been doing this whole trip?” she asked with a smile.

“Oh, please,” he said, shaking his head. “As if I could lead you anywhere you didn’t want to go. If anyone had any doubts as to your being the Princess Diana, they would just need to tell you what to do and they would know their mistake,” he said, with a smile to mirror her own.

She laughed. “I haven’t been all that bad, Steve Trevor, you just don’t always have the best ideas when it comes to plans.”

“So it’s not that you’re a bad follower, it’s that I’m a bad leader?” he asked, his voice going soft, but his smile remaining in place.

“You’re not being a bad leader now,” she said, her voice just as hushed.

He pulled her in a little closer, and she leaned in, her eyes closing at the comfort of his arms.

“I’d imagined this,” she said, quietly, almost not wanting to admit it. “Back at the orphanage. I’d given up on ever being adopted, there were too many of us and I was too old, but I imagined that I would go to work in some shop, and a handsome man would walk in one day and he would fall madly in love with me and he would take me all sorts of places, like—like dancing,” she said, her voice faltering at the way Steve was looking at her. “And I would have a family. Someone to belong with.”

“Someone to belong with,” he echoed, his eyes searching her face. “I had similar dreams, of growing old with someone, eating breakfast together, going dancing.” he continued swaying them around, and Dima felt like she could do this forever.

“That sounds wonderful,” she said, stepping in closer to him.

He slowed their dancing until they were just swaying in place, his eyes glancing down at her lips. He leaned forward and her eyes fluttered closed as she waited for the feeling of his lips on hers.

The feeling never came.

“Steve!” Charlie shouted from across the deck, and it was clear from his voice that someone had found some alcohol to share.

Steve had pulled back at the sound of Charlie’s call, and Dima’s eyes opened. There was disappointment in his gaze.

Steve cleared his throat. “I should go see what he wants,” he said before turning and walking away.

Dima's shoulders fell as she watched Steve walk away from her. His head turned as if he would look back at her, but then he turned it forward again and kept walking. It hurt, watching him, and she felt the sting of rejection. She took in a deep breath, and held her head high. It stung, true, but she wasn't going to let it bring her down.

Instead, she moved over to another group of passengers, dancing to the music, and asked to join in. They gladly let her and while she had a wonderful time dancing the night away, she always seemed to know exactly where Steve was on the deck.

* * *

"Dima," Steve called softly, later as she was walking to her room.

She turned to him, and without trying, she could feel the stiffness in her posture, in her expression. "Yes, Steve?"

"I wanted to apologize for before," he said, his eyes flicking down before he looked back up again to meet her eyes.

Dima shook her head. "You don't need to--" she began, not wanting to hear him say that he hadn't meant to almost kiss her.

Steve put up a hand to stop her. "I do. I was nervous, with the crowd, but I shouldn't have let it stop me from doing this," he said before he slowly leaned down, as he maintained eye contact and pressed his lips to hers.

Her lips curving into a smile, she moved her arms up to twine around his neck so that she could pull him closer and deepen the kiss. She'd never kissed anyone before, but it felt....magical. He pulled back after a few moments, his expression reverent as he watched her.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "I should let you get to your room.”

She nodded, and it felt like her smile would never stop growing.

“Dima, I almost forgot,” Steve called just as she had turned to walk away.

“Yes?” she asked, wondering if he might kiss her again.

“When we get to Paris, I have a stop to make, and there’s someone for you to meet.”

It wasn’t a kiss, but Steve was smiling too, and she relished any excuse to stay here a moment longer with him.

“I look forward to meeting them.”

They arrived in Paris the next day, although Dima and Steve enjoyed a few more stolen kisses when they could get away from everyone. Dima couldn’t help a giddy feeling everytime they stepped into an alcove and took advantage of the privacy. She had never had this before, and hadn’t really thought it would happen with someone like Steve.

Once they had disembarked the ship, their first stop was a small apartment building in a nice part of town.

Steve knocked twice and almost immediately, the door swung open to reveal a short, beaming woman. "Steve! I thought you'd never get here," she said as she gave him a tight hug.

"Etta," Steve said, turning to introduce Dima, but Etta was already giving out hugs to the others.

“How was the journey from Russia?” Etta asked as she turned back to Steve.

“Etta--”

“Oh, it must have been terrible, I can’t imagine what the weather must be like there right now.”

“Etta...” Steve tried again, his expression one of good natured annoyance as Etta started talking again.

“It’s so good to have you back, you can’t imagine how quiet it is around here without you four.”

“Etta,” Steve said, his voice firm and commanding.

"Yes, dear?" she asked looking up at Steve. She seemed to just notice Dima, and smiled at her kindly. "And who is this?"

Steve huffed out a laugh. "That's what I was trying to tell you, Etta. This is Dima. She's going to interview with the Tsarina."

Etta began walking around Dima, examining her from all angles. "Oh, yes, she'll do quite nicely. Where did you find her?"

"We met in St. Petersburg." Dima said, not sure exactly what Etta was talking about, but wanting to be polite.

"Dima's trying to find her family," Steve said, giving Etta a warning look that Dima didn't understand. "She looks so much like the missing princess, we thought it was a place to start."

Etta gave Steve a knowing nod and went back to examining Dima. "Well, she can't see the Tsarina in these clothes. We'll need to go shopping."

"Really?" Dima asked, her smile growing at the thought. Shopping for new clothes wasn’t really something done at the orphanage. She hadn't thought ahead enough to even consider what she would wear to meet the Tsarina. She certainly didn't own anything that nice.

Etta smiled up at her. “Really.”

“You’ll be able to get us in to see the Tsarina?” Steve asked, and Dima realized she hadn’t thought about how they were going to gain that audience either.

Etta nodded. “The Tsarina isn’t doing interviews anymore, but she and her sister are attending the theater on Friday. That gives us a few days to get ready.” She then turned to Dima. “Ready for a girls day?”

The shopping took longer than Dima had anticipated--how long would it take to find clothes?--but Etta had bought three new day dresses, two new coats, a more formal dress for dinner and a very formal dress and coat for the theater as well as shoes for every outfit. Dima had tried to say that it was too much, that she couldn’t accept it, but Etta wouldn’t listen.

“Steve is paying for everything and he insisted. Trust me, it’s not too much.”

Dima nodded, knowing Etta wouldn’t back down. Secretly, she was glad, as she ran her fingers over the smooth blue fabric of the gown she would wear on Friday.

As they walked back into the small hotel they were staying in with Dima’s purchases, Steve happened to be walking into the lobby as they walked inside.

“What did you guys get? Was the trip successful?” he asked, trying to peek inside one of the bags that Etta held.

She batted his hand away. “It was a very successful trip and you’ll just have to be patient,” she said sternly before turning to Dima and giving her a wink.

“Good thing I don’t have to wait too long,” he said, with a dramatic sigh.

Etta and Dima laughed and walked away to stow their purchases in her room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Dima meet the Tsarina.

Friday came more quickly than Dima had thought it would, and she found her nerves rising as the clock steadily moved towards the time they were supposed to leave for the theater. 

Finally, it was time to change, almost time for them to leave. She took out the dress she had hidden in the back of the closet, hoping it hadn't wrinkled. She’d put it behind her other clothes, new and old, not wanting Steve to see it. 

The dress looked as beautiful now as it had in the shop and Dima was excited to wear it again. The color was a deep blue, not too dark, and it made her seem even taller and more slender than she was. It was the nicest thing she had ever owned. 

There was a light knock at the door as she finished putting the dress on. "Dima?" Steve asked.

Fortunately, she had done her hair before putting on the dress, a simple updo that felt elegant and regal. With a deep breath, she opened the door. 

"Oh, wow," Steve said looking at her, his mouth slightly open. 

Dima smiled. "What do you think?"

"You look beautiful," he said, his voice almost reverent. 

"You look very nice yourself," she said, taking in the fitted suit he wore. 

"Shall we?" he asked, extending his arm. "The others are outside already." 

She slipped on her coat, put her arm in his and took in a deep breath. 

"Hey," Steve said, reaching his other hand up to rest on hers. "You can do this." 

"I can," Dima said with a smile, feeling more confident. 

The drive to the theater was shorter than she thought it would be and suddenly, they were there. She thought back to what Steve had said and all the training they had done. She could do this. She would do this. 

But first they had to sit through the first act of the play. Dima had been excited for that as well, as she'd never been to the theater, but she found it difficult to focus on the stage, when she could clearly see the Tsarina and her sister sitting in a box across from them. 

"It's time," Steve whispered, taking her hand in his when the curtain went down for the intermission. 

Dima stood up, making sure she was standing straight and took Steve's arm as they walked around to the Tsarina's box. 

"Wait here, I'll introduce you," Steve said before slipping inside. 

"Your majesty," Steve said, and Dima realized that she could hear inside the room.  
Looking down, she could see that the door wasn't closed all the way. Should she close it?

The Tsarina was answering; Dima had missed the rest of Steve's introduction. She should listen, there may be hints on how to act. 

"No. I've made it very clear that I will do no more interviews with people pretending to be my daughter. I refuse to put myself through that anymore." 

"You need to leave," said a third voice, who must be the Tsarina's sister, Antiope. Her tone brooked no argument. 

"If you would just listen--" Steve began. 

"No, I told you no and you need to listen," Hippolyta said, voice growing firmer and weary. "I know who you are. I've heard of the con men who dress up a girl to make them look like my daughter, but you, Steve Trevor, the American, you're more well known than most. Whoever you have out there is not my daughter. You need to leave." 

"But I promise she is--"

"Leave now. Guards." 

Steve was thrown out of the room and he rubbed at his arms before looking up and seeing her. She could see the moment he realized she had been listening, and he looked ashamed. 

“You lied?” Dima asked, and she could hardly look at him after she had just heard. “And you expected me to lie as well?”

She knew these sort of men existed, con men, the Tsarina had said, but she hadn’t imagined that Steve was one of them. Even from the beginning, she had trusted him and now she realized as she stood in front of him in her beautiful blue gown that none of it was real.

“Dima, it’s not that simple. In the beginning yes, but now—” Steve tried to explain, his tone desperate as he reached out to grab her hands. 

She snatched them away, not wanting him to touch her. “No, it is that simple, you lied to me, and you lied to her and you were going to use me to do it. That poor woman,” she said, glancing back at the door before she turned back to him, and then all she could feel was her anger and betrayal.

“Dima—” he began again taking a step forward. 

“No,” she said, louder this time, drawing the attention of everyone else in the theater. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. I’m leaving,” and with that, she turned and walked away, praying for the tears to wait to fall until she was back in her hotel room. 

The journey back to her hotel was a blur, and then she was packing up her things. It was more than she had ever had, since going shopping with Etta, but she still didn’t have very many things to pack.

She changed out of the gorgeous dress she had worn that evening, folding it carefully and placing it in her suitcase. She didn’t know where she would ever wear it again, but knew she couldn’t part with the memories it brought. Even if the evening had ended in disaster.

There was a knock at the door, and Dima stiffened. She didn’t want to keep having the same conversation with him, and she knew that’s all it would be. It could have been any of the others, but Steve was the most likely to try and get her to see his side. She ignored the knock and kept packing. The door opened and she sighed.

“I don’t want to talk to you, Steve,” she said, not turning to face the door.

“He’s not here,” a soft, commanding voice said from behind her.

She whirled around to find the Tsarina Hippolyta standing in her doorway. “Your Majesty,” she said, dipping into the curtsey that Steve had taught her.

Hippolyta walked further into the room, looking around before turning to face Dima.

“Your young man is very determined,” she said, lifting one eyebrow.

“He’s not—” Dima began, not sure what he was to her anymore, not sure what she wanted him to be. 

Hippolyta waved her hand. “I’m sorry you came all this way. Yours has been one of the better performances I’ve seen, but I can’t be disappointed anymore.”

Dima nodded. “I understand. I’m looking for my family too, and I’d hate to have people lying about belonging together just for the money.”

Hippolyta gave her a strange look before turning back to the door.

Dima sighed, and lifted one hand up to push back her hair, her sleeve falling down to reveal her bracelet. She hadn’t worn it to the theater, because it was too simple, but had put it back on as soon as she had reached her room. She had worn it every day for as long as she could remember. It felt odd to have it off her wrist. 

“Can I see your bracelet?”

Dima looked over at Hippolyta who had paused at the door, looking vulnerable and nervous. 

Confused, but willing to comply with such a simple and easy request, Dima held out her wrist. 

Hippolyta ran her fingers over the engraving almost reverently. “Where did you get this?” she asked, without looking up from the bracelet. 

Dima shrugged. “I’m not sure. I have some fuzzy memories of being given a bracelet by a woman, but I don’t know if she was my mother or not. I’ve had it since I was a child.” 

HIppolyta looked up, her expression now fierce. “Where did you get this?” she asked again, and Dima was taken back by how forcefully it was asked. “Did someone sell this to you?”

Dima took a step back, but Hippolyta still held onto her wrist, almost as if she had forgotten where her hand was. She shook her head. “No, I’ve had it for as long as I can remember.” 

Something about Hippolyta standing over the bracelet seemed to connect previously separate dots in her mind, and a flash of memory came to her. 

“No,” Dima began slowly, trying to process what was going on in her mind. “You gave it to me. Before you went to Paris. You said--,” she broke off as she struggled to remember. “You said that you hadn’t thought I was old enough to go, but had changed your mind and I could go on the next trip.” 

Hippolyta looked at her, hope and fear warring in her eyes. “How could you know that?” 

Dima shook her head. “I don’t know. I remembered just now.” 

“What else do you remember?”

Dima shook her head again. “I don’t know. Everything’s fuzzy, but I--” she broke off again. The memory suddenly became very clear and she looked up at Hippolyta in shock. “Mother?”

There was still fear in Hippolyta’s eyes, but there was more hope and determination and suddenly she was hugging Dima. “Oh, Diana. My Diana.” 

Dima--no, Diana--felt tears roll down her cheeks as she hugged the Tsarina--her mother!--back. 

“I’ve been looking for you for so long,” Hippolyta said, not releasing her. 

“So have I,” Diana said. 

Her mother pulled back after a few minutes, and Diana could see that her eyes weren't dry either. 

"Come, sit," Diana said, pushing her things off the bed so that they would have a place to sit. 

"I can't believe you are finally back with me," Hippolyta said, brushing her hand down Diana's cheek. "You are my greatest love, and for so long, you were also my greatest sorrow."

"You don't have to be sad anymore," Diana said, the tears continuing to fall. "I'm here." 

"You're here," her mother said, as if she couldn't believe it. "You're here." 

"Why did you come back?" Diana asked. "I thought you thought I was part of the con." 

Hippolyta nodded. "I did. But then Steve cornered me and told me about how he was the one to get us out of the palace, and that he knew that you were the one I had been waiting for." 

Diana's eyes widened as she remembered getting out of the palace that fateful day. She remembered the young servant boy opening the door in the wall, remembered walking through the short passageway, her mother and aunt bent over, remembered turning around when they got out and finding the boy gone. 

That was Steve?

He had done so much for her, and while he may have made some poor life choices, he had saved her as a child and later as a woman searching for her family and a life she couldn’t remember. 

Dima--no, Diana, she had to remember it was Diana now--sat down, needing to rest after all the revelations that had come to light in only a short time. 

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet, if that’s alright,” Hippolyta said, sounding unsure. 

Diana looked up at her and nodded. As tired as she was, she wanted to keep learning, keep remembering. “Who is it?”

"Do you remember your aunt, Antiope?"

Diana hesitated, trying to see what she could remember. The memories were still coming back to her, and everything remained fuzzy, but there was another woman, who looked like her mother, in many of the memories. 

She nodded. "I'm starting to." 

"Would you like to see her?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana runs into more than one person she isn't expecting.

Her reunion with Antiope had brought back even more memories. She had both cried and smiled more than she could ever remember doing in the last forty eight hours. 

“You were such a bright child,” Antiope said, looking at a small painting that hung on the wall of Hippolyta’s estate. It was a portrait of Diana from when she was eight years old “Mischievous too,” she said with a wide smile. 

Diana laughed. “You make me sound like a handful.” 

“You were,” her mother said a wide smile of her own on her lips, “but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

There was a sadness to her smile too, a weight that spoke of the years without Diana, when Hippolyta had no idea if she would ever see her daughter again. 

“I wished for my family for so long,” Diana said, looking at the two women who had raised her with love and a healthy dose of disbelief. “I am so happy to have found you, but I keep worrying I will wake up from this dream.” 

Antiope leaned over and laid her hand on Diana’s shoulder. “You will never lose us again,” she said, her voice fervent. 

Hippolyta nodded. “We are family and I never want to lose you again, Diana. It was unbearable.” 

Diana fought back tears as she stood up to give first Hippolyta and then Antiope a hug. “I’m so happy.” 

“There is something we must talk about,” Hippolyta said, in a serious tone. 

“What is it?” Diana asked, fear growing in her stomach. 

A smile pulled at the corners of Hippolyta’s mouth. “There is a ball behind held two weeks from now and we would like to introduce you then.” 

Diana felt a wave of relief as she realized it was not as serious as she first thought. Then she realized she would have to dance and talk with lords and ladies and other royalty. Up until a few days ago, she had not been anything other than a poor orphan. 

“Will you teach me what to do and say?” she asked, not wanting to disappoint or disgrace her family. 

Hippolyta and Antiope nodded, smiles on their faces. “Of course, Diana, we will make sure you are ready.” 

They talked until it was time to go to bed, and Diana was able to fall asleep easily knowing that her mother and aunt were just down the hall. 

The next day, she was walking through the estate, trying to find her mother. She looked up to see someone walking away from her. “Have you seen the Tsarina?” she called out, hoping whoever it was knew where her mother might be.

The man turned to look at her, and Diana froze when she saw it was Steve. 

“Steve?” Diana asked, unsure of how she felt exactly. She hadn’t thought she would ever see him again, although she had forgotten about the reward money. Surely he was here to collect that. 

Steve bowed to her awkwardly, his eyes barely meeting hers. When they did, there was pain there. “Princess,” he said, his voice low and Diana found that she missed him, even with everything he had done.

Which included saving her life on more than one occasion. 

“How are you?” she asked, trying to maintain a regal manner, but looking at Steve, remembering how it felt when he did look in her eyes, when his lips were on hers made that difficult. She acted as if she was absolutely succeeding in playing the princess. 

“I’m well. How are you?”

“I’m well,” she repeated, unsure of what else to say. She wanted to say that while she was so happy to be finally reunited with her family and have her memories returned to her, she also missed him, and their adventures. He had cared for her and wanted her when she was just Dima the orphan. Unless he had figured it out earlier than the night of the ballet? Maybe he had known all along that she was Diana and that was why he had kissed her?

Diana bit back a groan of frustration. Why was this so confusing and complicated?

“Goodbye, Diana,” Steve said when she was silent before bowing again and walking in the opposite direction. 

She watched him leave and wished she understood her own heart better. 

* * *

Diana looked at herself in the mirror, dressed in a light purple ball gown, it’s skirt wider than anything Diana had ever worn. A diamond tiara sat on her head. She looked beautiful, but she didn’t feel herself. She wondered if she would ever stop feeling like she was playing dress up in someone else’s life. She was happy to have found her family, but this whole royalty business was proving to be a difficult transition.

She swayed in place, making the skirt swish back and forth, bringing a smile to her face. She could do this. What was she complaining about? What little girl didn’t long to be a princess? 

“You look beautiful.” 

Diana turned around and smiled widely as her mother walked into the room. “Thank you, mother.” 

“I’m so glad you were here in time for the ball,” she said, standing beside Diana and looking at her through the mirror. “You are going to love it.” 

Her mother was beautiful in her deep green gown, but more than that, she looked regal. She held her head high, and the crown she wore looked like it belonged there, not like she had put it on while playing with her mother’s things. 

“What is wrong?” Hippolyta asked, glancing in concern at the wrinkle that had formed between Diana’s eyebrows. 

Diana sighed. She had hoped to hide this from her mother. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful. 

“I just don’t feel like I fit here, in this life. I have my memories, but they seem so long ago. Not so long ago, I was a poor orphan with nothing to her name. Now I have all the dresses I could ever want and a crown. It’s a little much to take in, is all.” 

Hippolyta frowned slightly, but nodded. “I understand, my love. This must seem all so new and different to you, and I haven’t held back in allowing you to have what is yours. Would you rather not attend the ball?”

Diana shook her head, despite any nerves about the event. “No, I will not hide. I just want you to know that it will take awhile for me to fill this role.” 

“And I’m not expecting you to change who you are,” Hippolyta said with a soft smile. “I want you to be yourself and know that who you are is enough. You are my daughter, and no matter what, I will love you.” 

Diana closed her eyes against tears and leaned in as Hippolyta embraced her. “Thank you, mother,” she said softly. 

“You are my greatest love. That has not changed. And if you need a break tonight, you can always sneak away without anyone noticing,” she said with a mischievous grin. 

Diana laughed through her tears. “I will keep that in mind.” 

“Come, it’s time,” Hippolyta said as she handed Diana a handkerchief. 

Diana nodded and wiped at her eyes. She let out a breath and squared her shoulders. It was just a ball. She could do this. 

“Maybe that man of yours will be there,” Hippolyta said with a mischievous smile.

Diana shook her head, her expression darkening. “I’m sure he has better things to do, what with his reward money to spend.” 

Hippolyta’s brow furrowed. “I thought you knew,” she said, laying her hand on Diana’s arm. “He didn’t take the money.” 

Diana’s eyes widened. “He didn’t? Why not?”

Hippolyta gave her a knowing look. “You don’t know?”

Diana remained silent, and Hippolyta merely gave her a soft smile. “We should get going.” 

Antiope met them at the bottom of the stairs by the door and she smiled warmly at Diana. “You look wonderful,” she said as they walked towards the carriage.

The carriage ride was short, but there was a bit of a wait as they arrived at the same time as everyone else it seemed. Diana took in a deep breath as she stepped down from the carriage and looked around at the glittering lights of the grounds and the dresses and jewels of the women present. This was the world she had been born into. The world she should have known all her life, not hard floors, ragged clothes and sparse meals. 

Regardless of what should have been, that life was a part of her, as was the shimmering landscape around her and she could ignore neither. 

Hippolyta reached over to give her hand a quick squeeze and Diana flashed her a grateful smile in return. 

“Shall we?” Antiope asked. With two answering nods, the three of them walked up the palace steps. 

The inside of the ballroom was even more grand than Diana had imagined and her gaze moved quickly as she tried to take in everything at once. 

“It’s okay,” Hippolyta said quietly from beside her. “We’ll be here for the rest of the night.” 

Diana couldn’t help but still look around in awe. They were announced and walked further into the ballroom. The dancing hadn’t started yet, although there was soft music playing that Diana felt herself swaying to. She knew she would be asked to dance and she had gone over the most common steps with her mother and Antiope, but was still worried she would let them down. 

A look of reassurance from her mother caused her to stand up straight and take in a deep breath. She had found her way to Paris, rediscovered her family without any of her memories and discovered she was a princess. She could do this. What was a dance compared to all that?

The band began playing the opening strains of a waltz and a handsome young man in a tuxedo, looking like all the other handsome young men in tuxedos walked up to her and bowed. 

She curtsied back as he said, “Would you do me the honor of this dance?”

Diana nodded and placed her hand in his outstretched palm, both of them wearing gloves. She remembered the dance with Steve and the skin on skin contact. Fortifying her smile, she pushed the memory to the back of her mind. As the dance began, she focused on correctly following the young man’s lead. He spoke as they danced and she kept up her side of the conversation, but the topic was such that she knew she wouldn’t remember most of it once the dance was over. 

Smiling at something he said, Diana glanced behind her partner, her eyes going wide as she saw Steve standing on the edge of the dance floor. He met her eyes and gestured for her to meet him over there. 

She shook her head. 

“What is it?” her partner asked, turning his head to follow her gaze. 

“It’s nothing,” Diana said, pasting a soft smile on her lips. “I just thought I saw someone I knew.” 

The rest of the dance was a blur as Diana wondered what Steve was doing there. What could he possibly have to say to her. Did she even want to talk to him? She wasn’t sure, but knew she would be speaking to him tonight regardless. 

The dance ended and her partner stepped back and bowed as she curtsied before leading her to the edge of the dance floor. Diana distractedly bid him farewell, before glancing over at Steve who was now walking over to her. 

“Steve,” Diana said as he approached, feeling agitation rise up in her at seeing him, here. “What are you doing here?”

He looked out of breath, almost as if he had run part of the way here, and his eyes were wide with worry and concern. “Diana, it’s not safe, Ares is here.” 

“You knew Ares?” Diana asked, remembering the court mystic man from when she was a child. 

Steve took in a deep breath. “He was the one who arranged the coup against your mother. He’s the reason you had to flee. He’s the reason you lost your memories.” 

Diana’s mouth fell open, as she remembered that glimpse of Ares as she and her mother and aunt fled the castle and the castle guards.

“How do you know?” Diana asked, moving in closer to him. 

“Diana, there you are,” Hippolyta said, coming up to the two of them. “I’ve been looking for you, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” 

“Mother, I really need to talk to Steve right now,” Diana said, needing to know everything that Steve knew. Steve looked like he agreed with that assessment. 

Hippolyta shook her head. “It will only take a minute, and then you can finish your conversation. He’s quite insistent that he meet you.” 

Diana looked at Steve with an apology in her eyes. “I will talk to you later,” she said as she walked away with her mother. 

Steve nodded, and when Diana turned around to look at him, he was still looking at her as she walked away. 

“Who is you want me to meet?” Diana asked, wondering what dignitary was so important she needed to interrupt a conversation for it.

“Diana, you may remember Ares from when you were younger,” Hippolyta said, as they approached the man himself. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're close to the end. Just a short epilogue after this and then the story is over.

Diana curtsied as the reintroductions were made, her mind racing. 

“Would you do me the honor of this dance, Princess Diana?” Ares asked, and Diana wondered how her mother could miss the sinister feeling in his tone. “It’s been so long since we last spoke. I would love to catch up.” 

Diana glanced at her mother, who was smiling broadly at the two of them, and nodded. “It would be my pleasure,” she said, putting her hand in his as the next song began. They walked away from her mother and Diana looked around trying to find Steve. 

“You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman, Diana,” Ares said as they began moving around the floor. 

Diana murmured a thank you, trying to figure out how to alert her mother to the truth, without alerting Ares. Did he know that she knew? That Steve knew?

“It’s wonderful that you’ve been reunited with your family,” Ares said, pulling Diana out of her thoughts. 

Diana nodded. “It’s wonderful to be back. I love my family and would do anything for them,” she said, not breaking eye contact. 

“That’s an admirable sentiment,” he said, a line of steel running through his voice. “How much do you remember? It must have been so distressing not remembering your family.” 

“It was,” she said, tilting her chin up a notch, “but my memories have been fully restored to me.” 

Ares nodded, his expression carefully blank. “How wonderful.” 

They completed the dance in silence and Diana wanted nothing more than to get away from Ares. Where was Steve?

“If you’re looking for your friend, he’s...preoccupied,” Ares said as they walked off the dance floor. 

Diana met his gaze, barely able to contain her anger or horror. “Where is he?”

Ares shrugged. “That’s not important. Take a turn with me out on the balcony. We have some matters to discuss.” 

“And why would I do that?” she asked, keeping her voice low. 

“I would hate for something to happen to your friend. Or your mother or aunt.” 

Diana froze, her expression hateful. She nodded and kept her hand on his arm. 

“Excellent choice,” Ares murmured as he led them towards the empty balcony. 

Half of the balcony was obscured by shadow and Ares led them to that part of the balcony so they wouldn’t be seen. There was a staircase leading from the balcony to the garden on that side and Diana wasn’t sure the best way to protect herself from Ares. She decided facing him, her back to the ballroom, giving her an exit would be her best choice, but Ares moved her towards the stairs. 

“What do you know, child?” Ares hissed, all politeness now gone. “I will not have you or that American ruining my plans.” 

“You destroyed everything, split up my family--I was lost for years because of you,” Diana said, moving in closer to him. “Why shouldn’t I ruin your plans?’

“I have worked very hard to get to where I am now and I will not have everything put in jeopardy because you decide you want to try your hand at revenge,” Ares spat, not giving an inch. 

“How does my mother not know? If you’re in power, everyone would know what you did.” 

Ares shook his head. “I installed a leader I can control from the shadows. No one needs to know that I’m in charge. I tried to do that with your mother, but she proved too headstrong.” 

Diana glanced back into the ballroom to see her mother dancing happily with some nobleman, without any idea of what was going on with Diana and Ares on the balcony. 

While Diana was distracted, Ares pushed her, hard and she stumbled back. Grasping out for the bannister she managed to slow her fall and only tripped down a few steps. 

She looked up, catching her breath as Ares descended upon her. She kicked off her shoes and turned and ran down the steps. 

She had gotten into fights at the orphanage and could hold her own, but wasn’t sure how much training Ares had received. He may have relied on others when violence became necessary. 

Even if she had known more about her opponent, she wasn’t about to start a fight on a staircase. 

She looked behind her once she reached the bottom of the steps to see Ares following behind her at a leisurely pace. She turned around and collided with a man dressed in all black. 

She struggled against him, but he held fast. Stopping her struggle, she rammed her forehead into his nose. He let go of her with a cry, his hands flying to his nose as blood streamed down his face. 

She took off in the opposite direction a few yards before a second man came out of the shadows and grabbed her. He held her tightly in such a way that she couldn't break the hold. 

“That was an impressive attempt at escape, my dear, but you’re not getting away this time.” Ares finished descending the stairs, his hands behind his back. 

Diana kept struggling, even as she knew it was useless. She had just gotten her family back. She couldn’t believe this was how it was going to end. She wouldn’t let it.

She saw Ares make a gesture to someone she couldn’t see in the shadows, and then another man in black came out into the light with a bound and gagged Steve, who was struggling just as much as she was. 

“Steve!” Diana called out, unable to stop herself. He seemed to struggle more at her call, as he tried to get to her. 

“If you two had just not seen what you had, you could have gone on with your lives. Alas, I can’t let two loose threads such as yourselves live.” 

“What will you tell my mother?” Diana asked, glad she hadn’t been gagged. Yet. “She won’t just let me disappear.” 

“You won’t simply disappear, Diana. You’ll tragically be convinced by your friend here, who is unfortunately obsessed with you, to run away, where he’ll kill you and then himself. A tragic ending to a beautiful story of family and reunion, but these are dark times.” 

“She’ll never believe you.” 

“She’ll have no choice but to believe me, when she comes to claim your body. Steve Trevor is a known criminal, while I am a trusted ally,” Ares said with a shrug. 

A flash of movement in the shadows caught Diana’s eye while Ares was facing Steve. He began talking to Steve about how he should have stayed in his position and not tried to be so ambitious. Diana focused on the movement in the shadow, and saw three figures moving. It was only after a few moments of watching that she realized who they were. Her lips curved into a smile that she pushed down. 

“You’re wrong,” she said, and Ares turned his head as she interrupted him. 

“Excuse me?” he asked, his voice polite, but Diana could tell she had hit a nerve. 

“You’re the one who should have checked his ambitions. Steve saved my life, on more than one occasion, and while he may have lied, it wasn’t on the same level as you and the countless lives you have harmed, mine included. Steve is a better man than you’ll ever be, and,” Diana hesitated for a second before continuing, “and I love him,” she said meeting his widened eyes.

Ares stalked over to her. “That’s a sweet sentiment, but I’m afraid it won’t save you,” he said with a sad shake of his head. 

“I know, but that’s not why I said it,” she said before headbutting the guard holding her, who had slackened his hold just enough for her to do so. “Now!” 

Charlie, Chief and Sammy ran out of the shadows. Charlie and Chief ran for Steve and the man who held him, while Sammy ran over to help her. 

Diana broke free and pinned her guard to the ground, her knee pushing into his back, and then turned to Sammy who had Ares at gunpoint. Steve, Charlie and Chief joined them a second later, and Diana looked over to where Steve had been held to see his guard unconscious. 

“Diana?”

Everyone turned their heads towards the stairs to see Hippolyta and Antiope at the top of them. 

“What is going on?” her mother asked, looking shocked. 

“Your highness, Diana has been turned by this con man and his associates. They tried to kill   
me,” Ares said, and Diana had to wonder who her mother would believe.

Hippolyta raised an eyebrow. “I just saw that you had Diana and her friend captured. I don’t know the whole story, but I’m not inclined to believe anything you say at the moment. Especially if you try to turn me against the daughter I have just found.”

“Diana, are you alright?” Antiope asked, although she looked proud.

Diana nodded. “We are all fine,” she asked, looking to the others who nodded.

Hippolyta turned to Antiope who disappeared after a moment. “Why would you do this, Ares?” 

“It’s worse than that, mother. He’s behind the coup,” Diana said, hating to watch the look of disappointment on her mother’s face as a trusted friend turned out to be an enemy.

Hippolyta’s eyes fell close as she nodded once. As her eyes opened, her expression was hard. “Ares, the guards have been called, and you will be tried for your crimes.” 

“You’re highness--” Ares began, but Hippolyta cut him off with her hand. 

“That is quite enough.” 

Diana felt a hand on her back and turned to see Steve who was looking at her with equal parts sadness, relief and hope. 

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly. 

Diana nodded. “I am. Are you? I’m sorry you were caught up in this.” 

Steve shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m just glad we’re okay.” 

She leaned into his hand and felt a wave of exhaustion fall over her. The guards came in the next moment to lead Ares away and Hippolyta joined them at the foot of the stairs. 

She enfolded Diana in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re alright. I’m so sorry, I introduced you to him.” 

Diana shook her head as they remained in the embrace. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” 

“Thank you gentlemen,” Hippolyta said turning to the men as she pulled back from Diana. “Please feel welcome to stay with us and accept a reward as my gratitude.” 

The group tried to demur, but Diana knew they would accept. They couldn’t really afford not to and Diana understood that kind of life. Which reminded her that Steve had refused the original reward money. Why? She glanced at Steve and knew a conversation would be needed to answer her questions. 

“In the meantime, you are welcome to stay at the ball,” Hippolyta continued, ignoring that none of them were really dressed for it, “but I understand if you would rather not. You will be taken to our residence to take care of whatever needs you wish.” 

Chief, Sammy and Charlie followed Hippolyta into the palace, leaving Diana and Steve alone. 

“You didn’t take the earlier reward money,” Diana said, turning to face him fully. “Why?”

Steve shrugged. “I just couldn’t do it. That’s why I did it in the first place, but everything changed, and I couldn’t take it. It felt like a betraying you all over again.” He looked ashamed and dropped his gaze. 

“Thank you for coming to warn me. Even if it did get you captured,” Diana said with a wry grin. 

Steve nodded, but he didn’t match her smile. “What you said to Ares, and to me, earlier...Did you mean it?” His expression was so full of hope and yet there was fear there too that made Diana’s heart ache. 

“I did,” she said, meeting his eyes, her words clear and true. 

Without answering, Steve leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Diana smiled into the kiss and pressed in closer.


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Diana go on an adventure.

Diana wiped her face with a cloth, looking out over the valley as she stood at the edge of the road. It was a beautiful view and she had seen more beautiful views in the last six months than in the last ten years. They had traveled all over Europe, looking at the map and plotting out adventures across the countries. They had been in Spain for the last week. 

Diana smiled as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. 

“This might be my favorite spot of the whole trip,” Steve said, resting his head against her shoulder. 

“Is that right? Not even Stonehenge?” Diana asked with a smirk, leaning back against him. 

“I mean, yeah Stonehenge was nice, but I like this.” Steve began gently stroking the simple silver wedding ring on her left hand. 

Diana looked down at the matching rings on their fingers. She smiled at the memory of the elopement. It had been a decision of the moment, but had seemed so right when Steve had suggested it in Germany. 

Her mother had been happy about their travels, about their union, but had extracted a promise that there would still be plenty of visits. Not that Diana would have said no.

“Do you regret it?” Steve asked, wrapping his arms around her as they looked out on the sunset. 

Diana shook her head. “No. I don’t.” 

“But you had just found your family, your place in life.” 

Diana turned around in his arms to look at him. “I still have my family, and my place is here, with you. I’d rather be traveling around than stuck in a palace in beautiful dresses I can’t do anything in for the rest of my life.” 

“You’re okay with a simple life? Breakfasts and traveling and worn clothes and adventure?” he rested his head against her forehead, his eyes falling closed. 

“I’ve been a penniless orphan half my life. All I’ve wanted for the last ten years is a family and a home. I have that now. I don’t need a crown.” 

Steve pulled back to look her in the eye. “I love you.” 

Diana smiled up at him. “I love you. And I wouldn’t want to be traveling with anyone else.” 

“That’s good, since you’re out here with me.” A crooked smile bloomed across his face. 

Diana laughed. “It’s a very good thing,” she said as she pushed forward to kiss him, reaching up to twine her arms around his shoulders.


End file.
